Exclusive | Yankees go to bat for fertility, and more items from the column

Monday August 3

Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón and his wife, Ashley, are bringing together some of baseball’s biggest stars for a meaningful night off the field. The couple will host the third annual Willow Gala on Aug. 24, an event dedicated to supporting families navigating infertility and pregnancy loss. The gala, which previously took place in Greenwich, Conn., is making its New York City debut this year as Carlos and Ashley continue to expand their mission. Carlos, a three-time MLB All-Star, and Ashley founded the gala after experiencing their own journey with pregnancy loss, and they are aiming to raise $1 million to help couples afford fertility treatments, including IVF. The evening, hosted at Skylight at The Refinery, is expected to draw a Yankees-heavy crowd, with Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe and other teammates slated to attend. The gala will honor advocates Samantha and the late Kyle Busch, and feature performances by Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts and comedian Casey Balsham.

A top pilates instructor says men won’t admit to doing Pilates – but some are secretly paying $25,000-a-year for lessons. Mason Pilates founder Aly Berger tells us most of her private clients are now male athletes. “Guys are now at the stage where they aren’t like, ‘Oh Pilates is easy.’ Now the reaction from guys is: ‘Pilates is super hard, I went to a class with my girlfriend and was shaking all over the place’.” Berger charges a minimum of $25,000 per year for private lessons, she told us at her pop-up at Montauk Yacht Club out East. She says when she trains men she “will throw in more bicep curls and rows and things they feel like they are really comfortable with . . .  then you can throw in other things later. They are bigger so some movements are not going to feel as comfortable with.” Berger admits, “They don’t want to tell their friends they do Pilates, but they are the best clients.” She added, “the groups are mainly women, and then the privates are mostly men. They want intense hands-on training.” Berger is opening a new members-only studio this Fall in Tribeca that will have just six spots open per class. She told us the space is more “high-end” residential than a normal studio aesthetic to make it more welcoming to men and will include a sauna, cold plunge and lounge.

SIGHTINGS: KNICKS captain Jalen Brunson’s wife, Ali, teaching a fitness class at Marcella Hymowitz’s The Pearl in NYC…Annette Bening and rockstar YOSHIKI at Cipriani (42^nd street)…Attorney Arthur Aidala at Rao’s. . . KATIE Holmes and her new boyfriend  Jason Bard Yarmosky at a dinner for Ferragamo at Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton. . . 

Sunday August 2

TALK about a messy bun. A New York City influencer has designed a scrunchie that dispenses dog poop bags. Kate Halley went viral in 2023 after being randomly punched in the face by a stranger in Manhattan and has built a following by documenting her lifestyle — from buying and renovating an $800,000 Hamptons Bay home in her early twenties to later upgrading to a $1.8 million house in Sag Harbor — is now focussing on less glamorous, er, matters. The 25-year-old’s design allows pet parents to scoop the goods while keeping their hands and outfits looking polished. She touts herself as the founder of Bar Dog, which will sell the scrunchies alongside coastal cable-knits. The item… drops… July 30 for $15. Forget glam squads and beach houses — Halley’s latest flex is getting down and dirty.

THEY were rolling in the aisles. Chanel Omari starred in a comedy show in the secret karaoke cellar of Sushi by Bou’s East Village last week. We hear comedian Seaton Smith took the stage at the debut of “All Star Comedy and Omakase” and performed for an intimate crowd that included Richie Romero and Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, who became the butt of one of his jokes. A source told us Smith spotted the foodie in the crowd and “said he looked like he should be playing a TV villain because of his hair.” Cheban took it all in stride, and thanked him for the “compliment.” “I love looking like I would be a villain,” he Foodgod said. Omari followed Smith’s act and put one guest on the spot who was laughing so hard she knocked over a glass, we’re told. She referred to herself as “Barbra Streisand on crack” during the routine, a nod to people telling her she resembles the “The Way We Were” singer. “Barbra would be insulted,” she quipped. Olivia Carter, Macy Kwok and Bassam Shawl also performed.

THAT Sydney Sadick’s Spotlight Magazine celebrated its new issue featuring Alexa Ray Joel with Christie Brinkley, Sailor Brinkley Cook, Richard and Claudia Edelman, Carson Griffith,  Anna Rothschild, Candace Bushnell, Ramona Singer, Sophie Elgort, and Ken & Maria Fischel . . . Mikhail Baryshnikov, Steven Ogg, Cynthia Rowley, Anna Delvey,  Rosanna Scotto and more were at the Watermill Center Benefit . . .

IT’S Pret-sident Lincoln! After bringing the house down as Honest Abe in a matinee of “Oh Mary!,” Page Six hears that Phillip James Brannon slipped out the side door for a sly sandwich. “The tourists were waiting on 45th at the stage door for Meg [Stelter, who’s playing Mary Todd Lincoln in the smash],” said a spy who’d just seen the show, “I was walking to the subway and saw Phillip sneak out the other side on 46th.” When our theatergoer told Brannon he’d been great and asked what he does between the matinee and evening show, he said he was going to grab a sandwich from Pret, take a walk and try to sneak in a nap. “He was just hysterical in this brilliant show and gets a standing o, then he slips out the side for a premade sammy,” said our awed source. 

CRUZ Beckham is taking a page out of mom Victoria Beckham’s pop-star playbook. The youngest son of Posh Spice and soccer star David Beckham rocked Brooklyn hotspot Baby’s All Right this week with his band, The Breakers, in front of a crowd that included “Friends” star David Schwimmer. A showgoer tells us: “Cruz was so humble. He met every fan after the show and took photos with anyone who wanted. He was so gracious and talented.” His debut EP, “Wear & Tear,” comes out Aug. 21.Meanwhile, it was just announced that brother Romeo’s signed as a model of Tommy Hilfiger.

IT was alumni night at “Les Miserables: The Arena Concert Experience” this week. Patti Lupone,  who played Fantine in the original 1985 London production sang “I Dreamed a Dream” and “On My Own,” along with Samantha Barks, Shan Ako, Debbie Gibson, Katie Hall, and Emily Bautista, some of whom have played also played Fantine, and and some former Eponine. Aaron Trevit, who starred in the 2012 movie, took the stage for “Bring Him Home,” with fellow Jean Val Jeans Alfie Boe, Killian Donnelly, and Gerónimo Rauch. Former and current Javerts –  including Philip Quast, Bradley Jaden, Jeremy Secomb, and Jordan Donica – also performed, taking the stage for “Stars.” The show, which uses the groundbreaking Sphere Immersive Sound system, plays until August 9.